Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Graces
Encyclopedia
Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace is the alleged Marian apparition that took place in the Carmel Monastery in Lipa City
, Batangas
to a novice, Teresita Castillo
.
or Teresing as she was fondly called, noticed a vine shaking without the presence of wind. Then she heard a woman's voice saying "Fear not my child. Kiss the ground. Whatever I tell you to do, you must do. For fifteen consecutive days, come to visit me here in this spot. Eat some grass, my child."
Days after the first shower of rose petals, total blindness affected the postulant (Teresita). The Mother Prioress heard a woman's voice telling her to kiss the postulant's eyes will recover her sight. One day, in the presence of Bishop Obviar, the mother prioress lifted the veil of the postulant and imparted a kiss to Teresita's eyes. Immediately, the girl recovered her sight. Bishop Obviar doubted no more that the apparitions were not heavenly.
On Friday, November 26, 1948, my brother Maj. Jose C. Villanueva and I went to visit the shop of the Visayan sculptor, Irineo Cristobal, a native of Banga Capiz, located at No. 431 Evangelista St. Quiapo Manila, who made the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, now venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Monastery of the Carmelites Sisters of Lipa, Batangas.
“How did you happen to make the statue?” I inquired from Irineo Cristobal. Cristobal replied: “Monsignor Alfredo Obviar, Auxiliary Bishop of Lipa, accompanied by three outside Carmelite Sisters came once during the month of September, 1948, to my workshop in Manila and ordered me to make the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace in accordance with the description contained in a piece of paper written in pencil by Sister Teresita Castillo. “Then demonstrated to me a piece of paper which read as follows:
“Face not too round, not perfect oval, smiling with gay eyes looking forward.
Fair complexion, dark eyes, small mouth, beautiful nose, black hair, coming out of her white veil of her forehead.
Hands extended in an attitude of writing, rosary on her right hand hanging.
Feet bare stepping on a clouds.
Body not thin, not stout
Dress all white reaching to the feet; round neck, double sleeves, one tight (under) the other wider, narrow white belt, white long veil reaching the feet. It falls graciously on her shoulders, more open than the veil of Our Lady of Fatima
.”
Immediately the sculptor Cristobal stated to do the work which lasted several days. After the work was finished, Cristobal took the statue to the Carmelite Convent and delivered it to the Mother Prioress, Mother Mary Cecilia Zialcita.
After a few days the statue was returned to Cristobal together with a letter of the Mother Prioress, asking for some corrections to be made on it. Copy of the letter of the Mother Prioress, originally written in longhand and ink, read thus:
Carmelite Monastery
City of Lipa
October 18, 1948
Pax Cristi!
Dear Mr. Cristobal:
May Carmel’s Queen and Mother ever bless you!
We are returning the statue of Our Blessed Mother, begging you to make the following corrections:
1.The mouth – the corners are too curved upward. The upper lip is too swollen; the lower lip is too thin ( we use watercolor to improve it) Please make it a little more smiling.
2.The left hand; raise a little high as the right hand. The middle finger is broken.
3.The belt – reduce to one half inch width. More gatherings in the dress on the breast..
4.The eyes darker, blackish. The dress whiter. Please remark the cracks on the clouds and the right side of the mantle near the hair.
All the rest is well. We shall pray much, Mr. Cristobal that you may make her beautiful. Many thanks in advance.
With Prayers and Gratitude in Corde Jesus.
Sr. Mary Cecillia de Jesus OCD
Prioress
The retouching of the statue lasted two days. So according to the sculptor the whole work lasted 22 days. “As it stands now,” explains the sculptor, “ The statue represents the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, as described by Sister Teresita Castillo when she appeared before her. The most important changes were the length of the ribbons and other minor details. The statue made the image without the rosary, which was later provided by the Mother Prioress, when the image reached the monastery in Lipa.
Irineo Cristobal is the same sculptor who made the other statues in several churches and convents of Lipa and Manila.
Cristobal is a very devout Catholic, and he believes in the authenticity and the veracity of the Divine Apparitions and in the Miracle of the rose petals.
He told us that he made the statue without any model. The statue of the Blessed Virgin was placed in an open truck and taken to Lipa by Maximo Mendoza. It is said that at the time there was rain, but, whenever the statue passed, the rain stopped. So that the dress of the Blessed Virgin could not become wet before arriving at Lipa.
Lipa City
The Lipa City /Li-pâ/ is a first class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. It is one of the three component cities of Batangas province...
, Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
to a novice, Teresita Castillo
Teresita Castillo
Teresita Castillo is a Roman Catholic nun who reported Marian apparitions in Lipa City, Philippines for several years since 1949.The Carmelite Convent in Lipa, the site of the reported apparitions, is now the subject of major pilgrimages in the Philippines, some attended by the president of...
.
September 12,Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary
Sr. Teresita CastilloTeresita Castillo
Teresita Castillo is a Roman Catholic nun who reported Marian apparitions in Lipa City, Philippines for several years since 1949.The Carmelite Convent in Lipa, the site of the reported apparitions, is now the subject of major pilgrimages in the Philippines, some attended by the president of...
or Teresing as she was fondly called, noticed a vine shaking without the presence of wind. Then she heard a woman's voice saying "Fear not my child. Kiss the ground. Whatever I tell you to do, you must do. For fifteen consecutive days, come to visit me here in this spot. Eat some grass, my child."
September 13
The next day, September 13, again 5o'clock in the afternoon, Teresita came to the spot, knelt down and intended to say the Hail Mary prayer. She had only reached the phrase "Full of Grace" when the vine moved. A beautiful Lady appeared, her hands clasped on her breast, a golden rosary hanging in her right hand, slightly stooping, her dress was simple and pure white held in the waist by a narrow cloth belt. Her feet were bare and resting on clouds about two feet above ground. Her face, indescribably beautiful, was radiant.September 14
On September 14, the first of the miraculous showers of rose petals occur. Some nuns, awakening early in the morning, found rose petals strewn outside their doors. Again at 5 o'clock, the Lady appeared once more at the vine and said "I wish this place to be blessed tomorrow." "At what time, Mother?" asked Teresita. "Anytime your Mother Prioress wants, my child. I forbid you to forget the incidents of these fifteen days." Then the Lady vanished. On the other hand, Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, the Mother Prioress, decided to consult His Excellency, the Most Reverend Alfredo Obviar, the auxiliary bishop of Lipa and spiritual director of Carmel, on what to do on the alleged apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The bishop instructed the Mother Prioress to demand from the Lady a proof that she is from Heaven.Days after the first shower of rose petals, total blindness affected the postulant (Teresita). The Mother Prioress heard a woman's voice telling her to kiss the postulant's eyes will recover her sight. One day, in the presence of Bishop Obviar, the mother prioress lifted the veil of the postulant and imparted a kiss to Teresita's eyes. Immediately, the girl recovered her sight. Bishop Obviar doubted no more that the apparitions were not heavenly.
The Image of Our Lady
(Based from the book, The Wonders of Lipa by Dr. Francisco Villanueva)On Friday, November 26, 1948, my brother Maj. Jose C. Villanueva and I went to visit the shop of the Visayan sculptor, Irineo Cristobal, a native of Banga Capiz, located at No. 431 Evangelista St. Quiapo Manila, who made the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, now venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Monastery of the Carmelites Sisters of Lipa, Batangas.
“How did you happen to make the statue?” I inquired from Irineo Cristobal. Cristobal replied: “Monsignor Alfredo Obviar, Auxiliary Bishop of Lipa, accompanied by three outside Carmelite Sisters came once during the month of September, 1948, to my workshop in Manila and ordered me to make the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace in accordance with the description contained in a piece of paper written in pencil by Sister Teresita Castillo. “Then demonstrated to me a piece of paper which read as follows:
“Face not too round, not perfect oval, smiling with gay eyes looking forward.
Fair complexion, dark eyes, small mouth, beautiful nose, black hair, coming out of her white veil of her forehead.
Hands extended in an attitude of writing, rosary on her right hand hanging.
Feet bare stepping on a clouds.
Body not thin, not stout
Dress all white reaching to the feet; round neck, double sleeves, one tight (under) the other wider, narrow white belt, white long veil reaching the feet. It falls graciously on her shoulders, more open than the veil of Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
.”
Immediately the sculptor Cristobal stated to do the work which lasted several days. After the work was finished, Cristobal took the statue to the Carmelite Convent and delivered it to the Mother Prioress, Mother Mary Cecilia Zialcita.
After a few days the statue was returned to Cristobal together with a letter of the Mother Prioress, asking for some corrections to be made on it. Copy of the letter of the Mother Prioress, originally written in longhand and ink, read thus:
Carmelite Monastery
City of Lipa
Lipa City
The Lipa City /Li-pâ/ is a first class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. It is one of the three component cities of Batangas province...
October 18, 1948
Pax Cristi!
Dear Mr. Cristobal:
May Carmel’s Queen and Mother ever bless you!
We are returning the statue of Our Blessed Mother, begging you to make the following corrections:
1.The mouth – the corners are too curved upward. The upper lip is too swollen; the lower lip is too thin ( we use watercolor to improve it) Please make it a little more smiling.
2.The left hand; raise a little high as the right hand. The middle finger is broken.
3.The belt – reduce to one half inch width. More gatherings in the dress on the breast..
4.The eyes darker, blackish. The dress whiter. Please remark the cracks on the clouds and the right side of the mantle near the hair.
All the rest is well. We shall pray much, Mr. Cristobal that you may make her beautiful. Many thanks in advance.
With Prayers and Gratitude in Corde Jesus.
Sr. Mary Cecillia de Jesus OCD
Prioress
The retouching of the statue lasted two days. So according to the sculptor the whole work lasted 22 days. “As it stands now,” explains the sculptor, “ The statue represents the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, as described by Sister Teresita Castillo when she appeared before her. The most important changes were the length of the ribbons and other minor details. The statue made the image without the rosary, which was later provided by the Mother Prioress, when the image reached the monastery in Lipa.
Irineo Cristobal is the same sculptor who made the other statues in several churches and convents of Lipa and Manila.
Cristobal is a very devout Catholic, and he believes in the authenticity and the veracity of the Divine Apparitions and in the Miracle of the rose petals.
He told us that he made the statue without any model. The statue of the Blessed Virgin was placed in an open truck and taken to Lipa by Maximo Mendoza. It is said that at the time there was rain, but, whenever the statue passed, the rain stopped. So that the dress of the Blessed Virgin could not become wet before arriving at Lipa.